Monday, April 29, 2013
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Monday, April 29

2:30 p.m.
Particle Astrophysics Seminar - One West
Speaker: Matt Kauer, University of Wisconsin - Madison
Title: Operation, Performance and First Results from DM-Ice17: a NaI Dark Matter Detector in the South Pole Ice

3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over

THERE WILL BE NO ALL EXPERIMENTERS' MEETING THIS WEEK

Tuesday, April 30

3:30 p.m.
DIRECTOR'S COFFEE BREAK - 2nd Flr X-Over

4 p.m.
Accelerator Physics and Technology Seminar - One West
Speaker: Sergei Nagaitsev and Valeri Lebedev, Fermilab
Title: Luminosity Limitations for Colliders Based on Plasma Accelerations

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Secon Level 3

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Flags at half staff

Wilson Hall Cafe

Monday, April 29

- Breakfast: blueberry pancakes
- Vegetarian potato leek soup
- Sloppy joe
- Chicken curry
- Smart cuisine: pasta primavera
- Oven-roasted-veggie wrap
- Assorted pizza by the slice
- Shrimp and crab scampi

Wilson Hall Cafe menu

Chez Leon

Wednesday, May 1
Lunch
- Jerk chicken
- Red beans and rice
- Coconut flan

Friday, May 3
Dinner
Closed

Chez Leon menu
Call x3524 to make your reservation.

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Feature

Two baby bison born at Fermilab, more on the way

A bison calf stands close to its mother at Fermilab's bison farm on a recent sunny morning. Photo: Sarah Khan

Spring has sprung, welcoming two additions to Fermilab's bison herd, with more to come.

The first bison calf was born on April 20, and the second was born on April 22. Both calves are healthy and in excellent shape, said Fermilab herdsman Cleo Garcia.

The calves pranced around their mothers on a recent breezy morning, taking breaks to nurse while the moms kept a vigilant eye on the rest of the herd.

The babies are the offspring of two bulls that were brought to the farm from Wisconsin at the end of June last year.

Garcia said he expects between eight and 10 more calves on the way. One may arrive this week, and the rest are expected in May.

Bison gestate for nine and a half months, but it's often difficult to tell when one is pregnant, Garcia said. Last year, the birth of six bison was a surprise for the herdsman, who previously did not notice any signs of pregnancy in the cows.

"It can be a worrisome experience, ensuring that the birth goes well for the calf and cow," Garcia said. "But everything went smoothly. Now I can look forward to seeing more visitors at the lab."

The babies' siblings also do what they can to look after the newborns.

"One of the babies' older brothers was actually helping to protect it when it was just born," Garcia said.

Bison babies are born at the lab generally between April and June. The lab manages the herd to maintain its population size from one year to the next.

Currently 24 bison make up the herd. Lab visitors can view the buffalo from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.

Sarah Khan

Photo of the Day

Crayfish out for a walk

Johnny Green, PPD, took this photo of a crayfish on a walking path near Kirk Road.
In the News

Einstein's theory of general relativity gets most extreme test yet

From Christian Science Monitor, April 25, 2013

The most massive neutron star known and its tightly orbiting companion, a wimp of a white-dwarf, have provided one of the most extreme tests yet of Einstein's theory of general relativity.

The theory has again passed with flying colors—for now.

Although the theory has cleared test after test over the past century, researchers keep trying to find its limits. They don't think it's wrong, just incomplete.

The other basic forces of nature—the strong force, which binds particles in an atom's nucleus, the weak force, which governs radioactive decay, and electromagnetism—have found explanations in quantum physics. Gravity is the only force that so far has resisted assimilation.

Many physicists are convinced that resistance is futile and that at some point gravity will yield to a quantum-physics explanation. But that breakdown may only become apparent under the most extreme conditions—conditions no human technology can establish.

So researchers turn to the cosmos for their extremes. And in the binary pair identified as PSR J0348+0432, they've found perhaps the most extreme conditions yet.

Read more

Tip of the Week: Safety

Know your vehicle

Do you know where your vehicle's emergency brake is? How about its owner's manual? Knowing your government vehicle and its controls will save lives, time and money.

Recently, two DOE contractors at outside DOE facilities failed to disengage the transmissions of the government vehicles they were operating prior to exiting their vehicles. In a third incident, a DOE contract employee, with his car's transmission engaged, fell out and was subsequently run over by the vehicle he was operating. Investigations revealed that in all three cases, lack of familiarity with the vehicle contributed to the cause of these incidents.

ESH&Q recommends that prior to operating any vehicle you are unfamiliar with, Take 5 to review the operator's manual and to identify where operational controls such as the light switches, wipers, emergency brakes, emergency brake pedals or handles, and hazard lights are located. Be aware of the size of the vehicle, and take into account any mounted apparatuses such as ladder racks or lift gates. Vehicle custodians have a responsibility also to ensure that personnel who operate their vehicles are certified and have valid state-issued driver licenses.

Remember to practice safe backing habits. Check behind your vehicle prior to backing up, or park in a position that allows you to pull forward when you leave.

You can find additional vehicle information by visiting this driver education website.

Brian Niesman, chairperson, Traffic Safety Subcommittee

Milestone

New employee - April

Stacey Masters-Rolle, WDRS, started at Fermilab this month. Fermilab welcomes her to the laboratory.

In the News

The art of physics: winning photos of giant particle colliders

From Wired, April 20, 2013

Physics laboratories around the world house amazing machines that probe the heart of matter and unlock the secrets of the universe. Incredible as their scientific work is, these particle accelerators, heavy ion colliders, gamma ray detectors, and neutrino experiments are also beautiful.

That's the takeaway from the 2012 Global Particle Physics Photowalk, a competition that looked at the intersection of art and high-energy particle physics. In September, hundreds of amateur and professional photographers were invited to take behind-the-scenes tours at 10 top-tier scientific facilities around the world and see some of the devices chasing the latest breakthroughs in physics.

Read more

Announcements

Today's New Announcements

OneNote 2010 class offered - May 22

Fermilab lost-and-found is in Communication Center, WH GF

All-hands meeting video now available

Free movie pass with Smart Cuisine purchase in Cafe

46th Fermilab Users Meeting registration now open

Changes to U.S. visa procedures - begin April 30

Permanent residence presentation by Chicago attorneys - May 1

Coed Softball League season opener - May 1

National Day of Prayer Observance - May 2

English country dancing Sunday afternoons at Kuhn Barn - May 5 and May 19

LabVIEW classes scheduled - May 10 and June 13

Hubbard Street 2 Dance - Fermilab Arts Series - May 11

Lecture: Big Science, Big Challenges - May 16

Fermilab-CERN Hadron Collider Physics Summer School open for applications

Open gym basketball Tuesday evenings

Indoor soccer

Fermilab Golf League

Indian Creek Riding Club

International folk dancing meets Thursday evenings in Kuhn Barn

Scottish country dancing meets Tuesday evenings in Kuhn Barn

Chicago Fire discount tickets